A complete electronic musical system should have both a means of composing professional music with little or no training, and a means of performing music, whether live or along with a previously recorded track, with little or no training, while still maintaining the highest levels of creativity and interaction in both composition and performance.
Methods of composing music on an electronic instrument are known, and may be classified in either of two ways: (1) a method in which automatic chord progressions are generated by depression of a key or keys (for example, Cotton Jr., et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,437), or by generating a suitable chord progression after a melody is given by the user (for example, Minamitaka, U.S. Pat. No. 5,218,153); and (2) a method in which one-finger chords can be produced in real-time (for example, Aoki, U.S. Pat. No. 4,419,916).
The first method of composition involves generating presequenced or preprogrammed accompaniment. This automatic method of composition lacks the creativity necessary to compose music with the freedom and expression of a trained musician. This method dictates a preprogrammed accompaniment without user selectable modifications in real-time, either during composition or performance.
The second method of composition, on the other hand, allows a user to trigger one-finger chords in real-time, thus allowing the user some creative control over which chord progression is actually formed. Although this method has the potential to become an adequate method of composition, it currently falls short in several aspects. There are five distinct needs which must be met, before a person with little or no musical training can effectively compose a complete piece of music with total creative control, just as a trained musician would:
(1) A means is needed for assigning a particular section of a musical instrument as a chord progression section in which individual chords can be triggered in real-time with one or more fingers. Further, the instrument should provide a means for dividing this chord progression section into particular song keys and scales so that a user understands the predetermined song key and chord progression number. For example a song in the key of E Major defines a chord progression 1-4-5, as described more fully below. PA1 (2) There also remains a need for a musical instrument that provides a user the option to play chords with one or more fingers in the chord progression section as previously described, while the individual notes of the currently triggered chord are simultaneously made available for playing in separate fixed chord locations on the instrument. Individual notes can be sounded in different octaves when played. Regardless of the different chords which are being played in the chord progression section, the individual notes of each currently triggered chord can be made available for playing in these same fixed chord location(s) on the instrument in real-time. The fundamental note and the alternate note (fifth) of the chord can be made available in their own fixed locations for composing purposes. PA1 (3) There also remains a need for a way to trigger chords with one or more fingers in the chord progression section, while scale notes and/or non-scale notes are simultaneously made available for playing in separate fixed locations on the instrument. These scale notes and non-scale notes can also be played in different octaves. This method of providing scale notes from a fixed location on the instrument dramatically reduces the amount of skill needed to compose and perform music. For example, a pentatonic scale can be made to take up only 5 positions in the fixed scale location, thus allowing the user to compose a song's entire melody line without moving his hand. PA1 (4) There also remains a need for a way to trigger chords with one or more fingers in the chord progression section, while the entire chord is simultaneously made available for playing from one or more keys in a separate fixed location, and can be sounded in different octaves when played. This feature allows the user 16 play right hand chords, inversions, the root position of a chord, and popular voicing of a chord with dramatically reduced physical skill, yet retains the creativity and flexibility of a trained musician. PA1 (5) Finally, there needs to be a means for adding to or modifying a composition once a basic progression and melody are decided upon and recorded by the user. A user with little or no musical training is thus able to add additional musically correct parts to the composition, to remove portions of the composition that were previously recorded, or to simply modify the composition in accordance with the taste of the musician.
Shimaya, U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,966, teaches a designated chord progression section, but the chord progression section disclosed in Shimaya follows the chromatic progression of the keyboard, from C to B. Shimaya provides no allowance for dividing this chord progression section into particular song keys and scales. One of the most basic tools of a composer is the freedom to compose in a selected key. Another basic tool allows a musician to compose using specific chord progressions based on the particular key and a scale. As in the previous example, when composing a song in the key of E Major, the musician should be permitted to play a chord progression of 1-4-5-6-2-7-3, or any other progression chosen by the musician.
In our culture's music, there are thousands of songs based on a simple 1-4-5 chord progression. Yet, most people with little or no musical training, and using known systems and methods, have no concept of the meaning of a musical key or a chord progression.
Further, there currently exists no adequate method of creating chord progressions which allow an individual with little or no musical training to compose and perform music with the flexibility and musical know-how of a trained musician, while maintaining creative control. An individual using current methods is limited strictly to a chromatic chord progression in the key of C. Such systems are unduly limited since most modern music is composed using specific song keys and chord progressions based on a particular scale. The present invention, however, allows for the use of chromatics at the discretion of the user. The inexperienced composer who uses the present invention is made fully aware at all times of what he is actually playing. The user can add "non-scale" chromatic chords if desired, not just add them out of ignorance.
This fixed chord location feature of the present invention allows a user with little or no musical training to properly compose a complete music piece. For example, by specifying this fixed chord location, and identifying the fundamental and alternate bass note locations of each chord, the user can easily compose entire basslines, arpeggios, and specific chord harmonies with no musical training, while maintaining complete creative control.
One obstacle that an individual with little or no training encounters when playing a musical instrument is the need for physical skill to accurately play all of the notes of a particular chord. Chord notes are usually spread out on a keyboard, and therefore are usually very difficult to identify and play efficiently, without extensive training and practice. The fixed-location feature of the present invention virtually eliminates the difficult physical aspects of playing chords on a musical instrument. An individual can play all of the individual notes of each chord in the progression, without movement of the user's hand from the fixed chord section.
Techniques for automating the performance of music on an electronic instrument are also well known, and primarily involve the use of indication systems which display to the user the notes to play on the electronic instrument to achieve the desired performance. These techniques are primarily used as teaching aids of traditional music theory and performance (e.g., Shaffer et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,266,735). These current methods provide high tech "cheat sheets". The user must follow along to an indication system and play all chords, notes, and scales just as a trained musician would. These methods do nothing to actually reduce the demanding physical skills required to perform the music.
There are three distinct needs which must be met before a person with little or no musical training can effectively perform music while maintaining the high level of creativity and interaction of a trained musician.
The first need involves playing entire melody lines from a reduced number of keys in a fixed location. This technique dramatically reduces the amount of physical skill needed to perform melody lines. A user may perform a song at a reduced skill level. This allows an inexperienced user to play the melody of a song from a fixed location on the instrument without moving his hand. Yet, if the user strikes the wrong key, a wrong note will sound, just as it would with a trained musician. This allows the user to feel an interaction with the instrument.
The second need involves playing all of the individual chord notes in a song's chord progression from a fixed location on the instrument. This dramatically reduces the amount of physical skill needed to perform music, while allowing a user total creative control in playing basslines, arpeggios, and melodies from the fixed location.
The third need involves playing the entire chord in a song's chord progression with one or more keys from a fixed location on the instrument. This method also dramatically reduces the amount of physical skill needed to perform music, while still allowing a user total creative control in playing all inversions, including root position and popular voicing, without moving his hand from the fixed chord location.